Woman moves into her dream rental home. Then she realizes her landlord never left: ‘There’s only one catch’

Renting a home where the landlord lives next door can blur the line between privacy and shared space. While some tenants appreciate the convenience of having a property owner close, others say the arrangement can quickly become uncomfortable when boundaries feel unclear.

That tension is at the center of a viral TikTok posted by creator Sarah Jessica Czechowski (@sarants23), who described renting what she called her “dream home” only to realize the owner never fully moved out.

In the video, Czechowski explained that she and her family recently rented a house with a large extra room she planned to use as a studio. The property checked nearly every box she wanted in a home, she said, except for one detail. “There’s only one catch,” she said in the clip. “It is a house, but there is an addition that’s on the house that’s like an apartment, and the owner lives there,” after spending more than a decade living in the main home himself.

Landlord: The space has “bad memories”

Czechowski also said he told her he had “bad memories” because he once lived there with a girlfriend before the relationship ended. Czechowski said the owner also left many personal belongings throughout the property, adding to the unusual living dynamic.

Before signing the lease, she said she specifically asked the realtor whether the arrangement might create problems. “I asked the realtor, ‘Do you think he’s going to be weird about it?’” she recalled. “’Do you think it’s going to be micromanaging?’”

The realtor allegedly reassured her that the landlord seemed “pretty chill,” describing him as an eccentric older musician. Even still, Czechowski said there were “a couple of red flags” after moving in.

From a cat conflict to “yelling”

One early conflict involved her cat. She said she disclosed the pet on her rental application, but claimed the information was overlooked until after she signed the lease. “When he found out I had a cat, he was mad,” she said. Though the issue was eventually resolved, Czechowski admitted the close living arrangement continued to make her uneasy at times.

She described hearing the landlord yelling and cursing to himself through the walls while in another part of the home. Czechowski tried to downplay the incident, noting that everyone has bad moments and that the landlord likely hears noise from her children, including her 2-year-old.

Other moments added to her uncertainty, including sharing garage space with the landlord’s belongings. Czechowski said she worried he might be upset after seeing how much of her family’s property had been moved into the garage, though he reportedly responded politely when she asked about it.

Despite repeatedly describing the house as “perfect,” Czechowski ended the video joking nervously about the situation. “Maybe I’ll get murdered,” she said. “If you’re seeing this and I’m not alive, it’s probably him, though.”

Czechowski did not indicate that the landlord had threatened her or committed any crime. The video largely centered on the awkwardness and anxiety Czechowski said she feels while adjusting to a rental arrangement where the property owner still lives attached to the home.

The video prompted concern from viewers, including one commenter who advised Czechowski to document interactions if she ever felt unsafe. “If there is ever a time you feel uneasy, try and record it,” the commenter wrote. “You can use an online recorder. Download it and press play then slip into your pocket. This way if ever needed, you have it. Just to be safe.”